Burrow: Bengals Feel Like 2019 LSU Title Team
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- Joe Burrow said the 2025 Cincinnati Bengals feel similar to his 2019 LSU national championship team, telling reporters: "I feel very similarly about this team... I feel like there's so much greatness we'll be able to achieve this year."
- Burrow stayed on the practice field for an extra hour after Tuesday's session and held an extended throwing workout Wednesday, the team's final day at Paycor Stadium before training camp opens in mid-July.
- Cincinnati traded the 10th overall pick this offseason for Pro Bowl defensive tackle Dexter Lawrence and restructured Burrow's contract to free up an additional $10 million in cap space for 2026.
- Burrow said there is "certainly" a sense of urgency after the Bengals went 6-11 last season and missed the playoffs for the third consecutive year, with coach Zac Taylor and de facto GM Duke Tobin both retained.
- Burrow acknowledged he's tried being "a little more vocal in a mean way" with teammates; offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher softened the description to "a little more blunt and a little more immediate."
- Burrow, under contract in Cincinnati through 2029, welcomed external pressure: "Put pressure on guys. I love it. I thrive in it... I want everybody talking about the Bengals."
Why it matters: The Bengals are betting aggressively that a roster reset — headlined by surrendering a top-10 pick for Dexter Lawrence and backloading Burrow's contract — can end a three-year playoff drought, and Burrow is signaling he intends to lead that push with a louder, more confrontational voice than fans have seen from him before.
